Read The Ghost Who Loved Diamonds for Free Online Page B

all a misunderstanding.”
    “Has she always been
like that?” Lily asked.
    “Cheryl and I are only
a month a part. Growing up our families did a lot together and I think our
parents—our mothers particularly—thought we should think of each other as
sisters. In their minds sisters were supposed to share everything—and I’m
afraid Cheryl took that message to heart. Of course, only when it applied to
what I had. When we were teenagers I hated it when she’d come over when I had a
boyfriend at the house because she’d shamefully flirt with him.”
    Lily grabbed a plastic
tumbler from the cabinet and started making herself a glass of iced tea. “I
can’t imagine my sister ever flirting with one of my boyfriends. Violation of
the sister code.”
     Danielle leaned back
against the kitchen counter and watched Lily. “I guess since we were cousins,
there was no code.”
    “So did your parents
ever say anything about how Cheryl behaved around your boyfriends?”
    “They never saw it.”
Danielle shrugged. “I think the hard part for me back then, by the time Cheryl
was fourteen she was already built like Marilyn Monroe, while I barely had any
boobs and looked more like a little girl. I’m afraid the boys lost interest in
me pretty quick once Cheryl set her sights on them. Of course, once they dumped
me she really wasn’t interested in them. One time I said something to her, and
she told me if I was dating a guy who would drop me so quickly over the first
pretty girl who flirted with him, he was the wrong guy for me.”
    “No wonder you two are
so close.”
    “It wasn’t just the
boyfriend thing. When she came over to our house she thought it was perfectly
acceptable to borrow my things without asking. If I tried to complain my mother
told me not to be so selfish— Cheryl was family .”
    “Did you ever do that
with Cheryl’s stuff?”
    “No. But since she was
always bigger than me, even though we are practically the same age, Aunt Susan
always gave mom the clothes Cheryl outgrew. So in Cheryl’s mind she was already
sharing her stuff with me. Fact was, I hated it when I had to wear one of her
hand-me-downs. By the time something actually fit me it was not only out of
style, but also it wasn’t really age appropriate.”
    “Were you guys together
a lot when you were growing up?”
    “Pretty much. Our
families took vacations together. Every summer we’d get a place at the beach
for a few weeks. I remember Aunt Susan would always let Sean, Cheryl’s little
brother, bring a friend along. But our mothers wouldn’t let us invite friends;
they said we had each other.”
    “Didn’t your parents
ever see how you two didn’t really get along?”
    “Oh, to them it was
because we were more like sisters—at least in their minds. And you know,
sisters fight. They would laugh about our squabbles. In some weird way they
found it endearing. I know that sounds odd, but I think that’s how they
rationalized our relationship while maintaining this fantasy that we were as
close as sisters.”
    “Sisters that didn’t like
each other, I guess.” Lily shrugged. “I wonder how Cheryl felt about it all.”
    “You mean being stuck
with me, like I was with her?”
    “Yeah.”
    “I assumed she hated it
too. By the way, I just got off the phone with Mr. Renton.”
    “He’s back in town?”
Lily asked.
    “Yes. And he said if I’d
come over to his office now, I could talk to him.”
    “I thought you wanted
to take Cheryl with you.”
    “No. I’d rather see him
first without her. Cheryl has a way of wrapping men around her finger, and
while I haven’t met Mr. Renton in person yet, I assume he is a man.”
    “Well, if you’re lucky
he’s gay,” Lily teased.
    “That would be nice.”
Danielle chuckled.
    “I’ll stay here and
work on that to do list. Plus, I’m dog sitting for Ian.”
    “I thought I heard
Sadie rush upstairs.”
    “She’s probably with
Walt….yikes, I almost forgot.”
    “Does it bother